1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method of producing ultrasound images using a reduced number of transducers elements.
2. Discussion of the Background
Conventionally, two dimensional 2-D ultrasound transducer arrays are formed by simultaneously transmitting and receiving using a plurality of individual transducer elements which act in concert as an array. When using a large number of individual transducer elements, the material cost and power required can be significant. U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,497 (herein Document 1) describes a sparse array that using only a portion of the full populated array. The sparse array consists of two or more separate zones for transmitting and receiving. However, since Document 1 is static in size and has a circular aperture shape, the device described in Document 1 is not sufficiently responsive.